Weekend Movie List # 10

Lucifer_666 · Weekend Movie List # 10

Okay I got the list in early enough this week

FRIDAY:

Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story BBC 1
Carry on Don't Lose Your Head BBC 1
The Good and the Bad Guys BBC 2

SATURDAY:

Diabolique BBC 1
The Lizzie McGuire Movie BBC 2
Help BBC 2
Pandaemonium BBC 2
Goldfinger ITV
Project X CH 4
Elizabeth CH 4
5x2: Cing Fois Deux CH4
Jassy CH 4
Copacabana CH 4
Gunfight in Abilene CH 5
My Dog Skip CH 5
Brannigan CH 5

SUNDAY:

Sirens BBC 1
Star Wars IV A New Hope ITV
Pink Cadillac ITV
Just Married CH 4
Dor CH 4
James and the Giant Peach CH 5
Jackie Chan's Who Am I? CH 5
The Ninth Gate CH 5

Catnapper

Whoever picks the movie I'll promise to remember to post a review this time

Lucifer_666

Good woman....whose picking this week though???

big aundy

got to be said not a lot to choose from .

Catnapper

I thought you'd have picked the Star Wars film Andy.....or is that the rubbish one everyone hates?!

big aundy

to be honest ,

friday - dragon the druce lee story - really good film .

saturday - goldfinger

sunday - defo star wars a new hope .

Catnapper

I'd go for the Ninth Gate.....it's got Johnny Depp, supernatural horror and nudity!

Lucifer_666

How about Sirens...no Johnny Depp but lots of nudity lol...... Is it my turn this week?? If it is I'm not going for Star Wars because I know Cat is not that long ago after watching it and really what can you say about the great film that already hasn't been said?? So I'm more inclined to tune to Johnny Depp myself so Ninth Gate it is....however if you want to do a review of Sirens either I won't mind

Catnapper

Ninth Gate it is then

Lucifer_666

Or Sirens

Catnapper

I can't wait to read your Sirens review Luc

Lucifer_666

Neither can I again and again

Catnapper

Here's my review as promised!

The Ninth Gate

An unscrupulous rare book dealer, Dean Corso (Johnny Depp), is hired by a renowned book collector, Boris Balkan (Frank Langella), to authenticate a book he recently acquired called The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows, which is supposed to hold clues for the summoning of Satan.

Balkan tells Corso there are 2 other Nine Gates books in existence and he gives Corso unlimited funds to travel abroad, examine the other books and verify that his is the authentic book. Strange things start happening to Corso as he starts his quest......figures seen out of the corner of his eye that promptly vanish, someone trailing him, his room being ransacked.......and a mysterious woman who seems to crop up everywhere he goes. Who is she and is she helping him or is she part of something more sinister?

Liana Telfer (Lena Olin), is the widow of the man who originally owned Balkan's Ninth Gate book (he hanged himself) and she wants to get the book back from Corso......but why? Suspicious deaths and murders seem to be connected with whoever owns the book and when Corso starts noticing that etchings in the books have subtle differences in them and the letters LCR appear on some of them......then his own life's in danger.

It's one of Roman Polanski's best films (well I think so anyway!) and I wanted to see the film because of the story.....old books, supernatural theme and Johnny Depp! It doesn't disappoint......the menace builds up slowly and you're not quite sure what's going to happen next. The haunting music I liked too.......the same few chords are played through the film and it's got an eerie quality to it that goes well with the theme of the film.

Good film

Lucifer_666

Great review babe

....I'll add mine soon

Catnapper

Well that was the 2nd time I posted it cause my net connection went down last night just as I pressed submit!

I was going to ask you a question about the film but I'll wait and see what you say in your review.

Lucifer_666

OHHH Crikey I may have to watch it now

I was thinking of going on memory from the last time I seen it a few years ago

As for your commitment here on the Movie Club babe...its unequalled

Catnapper

You'll probably be able to answer my questions Luc (yes questions, cause I thought of another one!) but I want to see if you mention anything about them in your review first!

I'm only trying to keep things rolling along Luc but thanks for the compliment

Lucifer_666

I'm watching it then

rolling rolling rolling
keep the movie club rolling
keep those reviews rolling
Cat's hide

Catnapper

Leave my hide out of it!

Lucifer_666

Hey thats the best part

Lucifer_666

I finally got round to watching The Ninth Gate and I have to say even though some may think its not the best Depp movie (Which I agree with) its still a great watch and experience which improves I find the more times I view it. The movie is full of riddles not all fully explained which I found part of its charm.
I loved the opening titles where we travel through bookcases, corridors and then through varied doorways/gates and yes the final one we venture through was the ninth one

.
Johnny Depp as always is brilliant.... the guy is just so versatile he can take on any role and be convincing....In this he plays a conscienceless hunter of rare books who will literally do anything to get what he wants and I do think he nailed it which is why I was surprised when I heard before that director Roman Polanski apparently thought Depp didn't play it the way he envisioned it (Polanski never told Depp this though) This does make me wonder what way did Polanski want the character to be?
Anyway I also loved Frank Langella in it too.. I recently watched the DS9 episodes on Virgin 1 about the Circle and Langella was starring and I have to say I think he's great however for me I'll always think of him as Dracula in the '79 version

. And of course the two main ladies are very good too though Lena Olin was my favourite of the two...she always reminds me of the goth woman who used to present the Redemption series of movies that used to be shown on Bravo years ago.

...She is very hot for an older woman and I also must mention the scene after having sex with Corso (Depp) she starts attacking him, biting and eventually smashing a bottle over his head .

.... I thought she was brilliant in it

.
The music like Cat I really liked too.....it kind of reminded me of the Third Man though not so much the tune but the simplicity in the way its used throughout. Which kind of really leaves only one other thing to discuss...the ending!!! I have read suggestions that many believe Corso was Lucifer in the picture with the Whore of Babylon but I'm more inclined to think that the woman (Emmanuelle Seigner) was the big guy...if you think about it she protected Corso throughout subtly helping him get to the answers also when he brutally keeps hitting the guy in the cellar she turns almost in delight and says "I didn't know you had it in you" which could suggest her triumph in the fact that she turned a mere dishonest guy into a minion of evil.
It is hard to know for sure though......
All in all its a film that I believe doesn't get the recognition it deserves perhaps because Depp isn't as attractive with the glasses and beard? or maybe people were expecting another classic from Polanski like Rosemary's Baby? or it could be just simply that it leaves you with questions with multiple possible answers? Though I'm not surprised to hear its developing a cult following now.

I almost forgot to add too....remember Depp's first scene where he is conning a couple out of a more expensive book and there is the actual owner in a wheelchair unable to speak....well the two guys are played by the same actor ...Polanski used a motion capture rig to pull it off....he didn't even use a real actor for it either....assistant director and production manager Jose Lopez Rodero played the parts...he also appears later as the two workmen clearing out the bookstore

A very enjoyable watch that I personally would recommend it to anyone

Catnapper

Excellent Luc!

I can't see why Pulanski said that about Depp, I think Depp nailed the part and was very good in it. He sort of kept a quietness about the character which I think worked better than if he'd been frantically running around yelling and screaming. The quietness worked well with the eerie music too because you got a sense of uneasiness and the menace built up.

You've answered one of my questions Luc! I was going to ask is that the Ninth Gate at the end (I know he'd solved the mystery so I kinda figured it must be!).......and I wanted to know what you thought about the woman. I thought she was maybe a Devil's Disciple and she was leading him to the Devil at the end......I didn't think she could be the Devil!

Did you notice about his glasses too? In one scene they get broke then they're suddenly fine again! How come?!

Lucifer_666

Well spotted babe

I never noticed the glasses

I think you could be right in your assessment either of the woman she may have been just a minion of the devil....its hard to know for sure .....
Thats what I really liked about the film

Catnapper

I thought I'd missed someone saying he'd gone to SpecSavers or something

I thought the ending was appropriate for his character........a book dealer who'd sell his soul to the devil......clever stuff!

Lucifer_666

Well they do give out a spare pair don't they in Specsavers?

so maybe that would explain it alright

Yep it was a good flick I wonder is it much different than the novel though??

Catnapper

I hadn't heard about the book before so I don't know how different it is......I'll have to look out for it.

Lucifer_666

The book is called El Club Dumas babe if your looking